Reps panel urges INEC to disqualify candidates absent from party registers

The House of Representatives Committee on Electoral Matters has asked INEC to audit political party membership registers and disqualify 2027 election candidates whose names are missing from the registers submitted to the commission.

The request came in a Tuesday statement by committee chairman Bayo Balogun. It is a recommendation to the electoral commission, not an announcement that candidates have already been disqualified.

Balogun said the audit should compare the names of candidates submitted by political parties with their earlier membership registers, in line with Section 77(5) of the Electoral Act 2026.

He explained that the provision limits eligibility to vote or be voted for at party primaries, congresses and conventions to members listed in the register submitted to INEC. Section 77(6), he said, requires parties to use that register for those exercises.

Balogun, an APC lawmaker, cited the Supreme Court’s September 24 decision restoring provisions that the Court of Appeal had declared unconstitutional. He said the ruling had resolved the legal challenge to their interpretation and enforceability.

The Supreme Court ruling was reported earlier here. It restored provisions dealing with party membership records and candidate nominations.

Balogun urged INEC to enforce Sections 77(4) to 77(6) without further delay in its administration and monitoring of political parties. He said diligent enforcement would help prevent disputes and reduce litigation over alleged non-compliance.

Sources: Daily Post, Vanguard